Since opening Restaurant Aqua in Wolfsburg in spring 2000, Sven Elverfeld has pulled off a remarkable programme of individualisation that has resulted in a very personal interpretation of the refined avant garde. Elverfeld's cuisine does not aim to be an intellectual reflection of himself; rather he employs every available technique and design in precise, targeted ways in order to benefit the flavours in his food and therefore delight his guests. With just a hint of irony and a nod to his native Hessen, he presents his own interpretations of traditional dishes: his Tafelspitz (soured boiled rump) of Müritz lamb, Frankfurt green sauce, potato and egg conjures up childhood memories of food but also lifts them to a higher plane. Their transparent, Mondrian-style arrangement on the plate enables the main protagonist to shine through, quite unlike the usual childlike blend of all the ingredients.

But Elverfeld also creates his own innovative flavour scenarios: in his langoustine & charcoal-grilled belly of suckling pig, beefsteak tomato, crustacean mayonnaise and balsamico emulsion , the deftly incorporated grilled flavour of the wafer-thin slice of pork belly sets a counterpoint to a formidable langoustine whose interaction with intense tomato flesh and an emulsion of balsamico, soy sauce, mustard and Picual olive oil (produced with a high-speed emulsifier) is given a sweet-sour slant. Overall, an intricate web of flavours is spun around the langoustine, the sheer quality of which guarantees its position as ringmaster.